The Culture of Cordoba

Cordoba is a Spanish city about three hours from the southern coast that was originally inhabited by the Romans in 152 B.C. It was an important port city on the Guadalquivir River, which was used to transport olive oil, wine, and wheat back to Rome. The Romans built a massive bridge across the Guadalquivir River, which still exists today.

However, the city was later colonized by the Moors in the eighth century. Its population and importance grew, and it later became the capital of the Islamic Emirate and the entire Iberian Peninsula. The masterpiece of the time was the construction of the Great Mosque, or “Mezquita” which is one of the largest  and most beautiful of all Islam. Cordoba developed into the center of culture and learning in the Islamic Golden Age.

King Ferdinand III of Castile captured Cordoba in 1236. The amazing thing about this conquest is that the famed mosque was not destroyed, but just converted into a Catholic cathedral. The site today stands as a symbol of diversity between the two religious groups.

Decorated walls and windows

Interesting people

An inviting courtyard

The Great Mosque and Cathedral of La Mezquita

A city filled with beautiful doors

Fun people on the streets

A peaceful courtyard

And then there were the windows

An interesting crucifix with a skull and crossbones at the base

Statues in the cathedral

The Roman Bridge

Finally, on the left, symbols on the roads indicating you are in the Jewish quarter, and on the right, something not often seen in a cathedral